Alabama Baseball Conducts First Spring Practice of 2021
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On Friday afternoon, Alabama baseball took to the field for its first full-team practice of the spring semester, signaling the return of the sport to the university for the first time since last season’s sudden and abrupt end.
The Crimson Tide started off the 2020 season with an overall record of 16-1 and were poised to start play in the Southeastern Conference when the COVID-19 pandemic brought what looked to be a promising year to a screeching halt.
After losing two key relievers in Casey Cobb and Garret Rukes along with utility Brett Auerbach, you would think that the outlook on this season from the Alabama clubhouse would be less spirited following such a disheartening end to last season.
However, according to coach Brad Bohannon, the feeling in the Crimson Tide dugout is anything but demoralized.
“I love the feel of our club right now,” Bohannon said. “I think last year we had a group where they were like ‘Hey, we’re trying to prove to the whole world that we’re good.’ Not that this group thinks that they’ve arrived but we’ve only got two juniors and two seniors on our team. We’ve got 19 freshmen technically.”
Bohannon is correct in that Alabama is bringing 19 freshmen onto the diamond this season. Some of the players are returning from last year’s team, with their extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA in tow. Outfielder Owen Diodati and utility Peyton Wilson both look to continue their solid freshmen campaigns, already established on the team despite their freshman status.
For Bohannon, he says that his team’s confident demeanor comes from believing in themselves. While last season might have ended in disappointing fashion, it created a drive in his players that has them seeking even more success in 2021.
“All these guys that’ve only been here a year and a half have only lost one game at Alabama, so we don’t have a bunch of guys that have been here that have lost many games so I don’t have to pump these guys’ tires,” Bohannon said. “They really believe in themselves. Nobody thinks that they’ve arrived. We certainly respect the game of baseball. We respect how challenging the Southeastern Conference will be but I think this group’s just more of a ‘Hey, let’s go out and do our thing,’ less than ‘Hey we gotta prove it to the world that we belong.’ And I think both mentalities can be effective.”
On top of all of that, Bohannon continued to discuss the overall attitude and spirit of the team. While many teams might be disheartened following an abrupt end and several key losses on the roster, Bohannon said that the Crimson Tide are one of the best teams he’s ever fielded when it comes to fun on the field and overall positive attitude.
Catcher Sam Praytor, who enters his fourth season with the Crimson Tide despite maintaining his redshirt-sophomore status, echoed Bohannon’s sentiments concerning the attitude that this team brings into the upcoming season.
“I feel really good about our team this year,” Praytor said. “I’m really excited to get going and it’s just like coach Bo said: this team is really excited about coming to the ballpark every day he said it best. He’s completely right. We have a great time together. When we’re at the field, everybody wants to be at the field, everybody wants to get better, everybody loves practicing.”
Make no mistake about it: this Alabama team is entering 2021 with a chip on its shoulder. To the players, last year’s success was not the end. Instead, it was just the beginning.
To Praytor, the team has nothing left to prove to themselves. Rather, it’s proving to the rest of the SEC that they belong in the conversation with the league leaders.
“Obviously, we feel like we do have a lot to prove and everything but at the same time we don’t have to prove it for ourselves,” Praytor said. “We know we’re there and we feel really good about this upcoming season.”
Alabama baseball is scheduled to being its season on Feb. 19 against McNeese State in Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
